In withholding its consent, Parliament supported the original recommendation by rapporteur Carl HAGLUND (ALDE, FI), who had argued that the one-year extension of the current protocol was unacceptable for economic, ecological and legal reasons and that Parliament should therefore decline to consent to its conclusion. The Committee on Fisheries had nevertheless tabled a recommendation calling on Parliament to give its consent.
As Parliament's consent is needed for agreements of this kind, pursuant to Article 218(6)a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Union will not be in a position to conclude the Protocol.